Tag Archives: furniture

Stokperd

26 Jun

Monya Eastman from Stokperk will come to your place, measure it out, talk ideas and types of wood and create the perfect piece of furniture for your home. No more buying a clunky piece that’s too big for your space. I like that.

” I used to be a corporate girl, stuck in an office, daydreaming about making beautiful things. Then one day we renovated our home and I finally got my chance. Frustrated by not being able to find the kind of furniture I was looking for in the world of shops, I made a few drawings and got someone to build my ideas from scratch. And that’s how Stokperd began. This is probably where I should also explain what Stokperd means – it’s the Afrikaans word for hobby (or stick horse if you translate directly).

So this is me now, riding off on my stick horse…into the great big unknown.

In addition to creating beautiful things I generally just like to get my hands dirty. I grow stuff; I have a garden full of cherry tomatoes, rocket, fat purple aubergines & loads of vetplantjies. I’m also partial to winter, old things, small towns & the Karoo.”

All images via http://www.stokperd.com/

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Brak furniture

8 Dec

Television Cabinet R2500

Left: Filing Cabinet R1190 Right: Walnut Chest of Drawers R2750


Television Cabinet R2500

Right: Vereeniging Hotel bedside Tables R1250 each (love the name!)

Kidney Table R450

Finally some cool upcycled and custom made furniture right here in Jo’burg. Those of you who’ve been to the Market on Main recently would’ve seen these great retro pieces by Brak Furniture.  Screenwriters by day, furniture designers/restorers by night Wolfgang Muller and Zoe Laband have worked double shift to bring us Brak.

 Do you design and make the furniture yourselves?

We design and make a lot of the furniture ourselves. My dad, a Swiss cabinet maker, actually does the manufacturing, and we do the design. The rest of the furniture are pieces that I have upcycled myself and are one-offs.

How did you decide to take the plunge, I believe you’re screenwriters by day?

We started upcycling pieces for fun and relaxation, as it’s a different type of creativity to writing, which occurs entirely in your head. Part of the fun with Brak is actually getting your hands dirty. We then got so many pieces that we decided to sell them at Market on Main on Sundays at the Main Street Life complex and the response was really good. Before we knew it, the company was born. Because my dad is a cabinet maker, we realised we didn’t have to limit ourselves to upcycling and he joined us in our company. We then started making our own pieces. As our company grows, we’re really going to focus on creating more designs.

Where can we buy your furniture? (Any plans for a store?)

Right now, we’re selling primarily off of our website – but we can deliver anywhere in SA. www.brakfurniture.blogspot.com. We also have a stand at Market on Main on Sundays if you want to see the furniture first hand. http://marketonmain.co.za/ A retail space is on the cards for the future, but we’re only 6 months old so all in good time!

Thanks Wolfgang and Zoe!

You can join their Facebook page here.


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Bespoke furniture by Frank Böhm Studio

8 Nov

 


 



Frank Böhm is a Cape Town based architect and furniture designer who is inspired by his love of timber and raw materials. He refuses to mask the true nature of materials, choosing rather to embrace their honesty and natural beauty in his designs.

The range comprises of handcrafted dining tables, benches, chairs, side tables, coffee tables and unique installations.

Check out his site for more of his architecture and product design:

http://www.frankbohmstudio.co.za/

Join his Facebook page here.

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Timeless, handcrafted furniture by John Vogel

2 Nov

John Vogel’s beautifully handcrafted furniture embodies a distinct South African vernacular. His products draw inspiration from the specifics of our land and he believes in creating works that stand apart from the mass-produced and readily available.

“John Vogel has a design background in architecture and first started creating furniture as a student. Although he has worked in many materials, his strongest affinity is for timber and most of his inspiration comes from the natural world and the exploration of organic forms.

He designs, prototypes and manufactures in-house, and his Cape Town workshop is equipped to supply quality products anywhere in the world.

He believes strongly in a sustainable business model: tree planting is funded from products sold and in time more wood will be replaced than used.”

For more check out his website: http://www.vogeldesign.co.za/

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Sculptor Dahla Hulme finds beauty in discarded objects

26 Oct

“Dahla is a scluptor who grew up on a Namibian cattle farm, studied art with a photography major in Georgia, USA, lived in Scotland and Ireland, became a commercial pilot and took up sculpture after relocating to the Eastern Free State six years ago. She now lives and works in Rosendal, where she shares a gallery, Meerkatkolonie, with painter Michèle Nigrini. She also creates sustainable job opportunities for the local community of Mautse, mostly by making unique pieces of furniture for game lodges.

Dahla  also works on commission – she will visit your home or office and design for that specific space, using treasured personal items or functional items related to a particular business or industry in her work. She is on a kitchen tangent at the moment, helping to create interactive kitchens, designing and building work surfaces, tables and chopping boards.

Continue reading →

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Artisanal workmanship by James Mudge

26 Sep

I absolutely love the clean lines of James Mudge’s wooden furniture. James designs and manufactures beautifully crafted custom made furniture at his studio in Cape Town. His small team of highly trained artisans make furniture using solid woods and traditional cabinet making techniques such as Mortise and Tenons, Dovetails and Half-laps. (sounds like yoga poses to me)

Have a look at his site for more:http://www.jamesmudge.com/

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The Dark Horse online shop is open for business.

23 Sep

Zig Zag Trolley R1 590


Wrap Chair R2 900


Angled shelf R690


Segment Table R3 900 Available from the store

Militia bench R1 390

Tri-Light R325Wool Light (Perspex dome) R590 Available in store

Dark Horse in Cape Town has just launched their ONLINE SHOP so now we can all get our hands on their beautiful goods.

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Design solutions that are simple, yet awesome.

22 Sep

I just love it when designers find design solutions that solve real problems. Yolandi and James from Our Awesome Work have created a fun and functional solution to address the shortage of desks in South African schools. The Baja DIY desk is made from recycled material, weighs less than 4kg and helps to stimulate kids’ cognitive and motor skills.

The desk has been nominated for the inaugural WORLD DESIGN IMPACT PRIZE, hosted by Icsid- International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. Read more about the project in our interview below.

Here are a few more examples of their designs.

Sgt Pepper USB speakers

Simplicité lamp

What is your design philosophy?

To design aesthetic and functional, good quality products that are innovative, but simple to use and understand. “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” – Coco Chanel.  Yolandi is a great fan of Gabrielle Coco Chanel’s design style.

James on the other hand is more interested in the manufacturing side of things and is a great thinker when it comes to “the bigger picture”. He often reminds me and others of big entrepreneurs, who also started off on a small scale, such as Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg. Which makes it remarkable to work with him since “nothing is ever impossible” and he will always find a way to come up with a solution or make something work!

Tell us a bit more about your backgrounds?

I grew up us the youngest of two children in Paarl and matriculated at La Rochelle Girls’ High School in 2007. Having an older brother and a gunsmith for a dad, I was quite a little tomboy, I played Lego and by the age of 5 I had asked my parents not to buy me a Barbie again as a birthday present! My creativity comes from my mom’s encouragement and numerous taxi rides to various art classes. After matriculating I went to study Industrial Design at CPUT where James and I met in 2008.

Continue reading →

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The new Design Team & Essential Life collaboration

24 Aug

Design Team Stool Bench with Arms R2415 – R3112

Design Team Round Coffee Table R1453 High Leg R1624

Design Team Square Ottoman 500×500 R1764

Design Team Table 1.7m R6963

Design Team Round Ottoman R1764

Design Team Server R8784 Birch R14085

Design Team Ottoman bench with arms 800 length R2243

We love the new collaboration between Design Team and Essential Life. The project development team from Essential Life Creative Studio combined various Design Team fabric collections and extended them into a full-fledged furniture range.

The furniture range incorporates the revival of the mid-century trend of natural and ageless constructions, combined with a distinct modern flair. The range aims to be accessible to a global market and uses plywood made from reconstituted woods, combined with solid mahogany from sustainable forests that makes the high quality range environmentally friendly.

Beautiful!

For more visit http://www.designteamfabrics.co.za/

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Vamp revamped.

18 Aug

Mengsel Pillows R340 each

We’ve been huge fans of the Vamp blog for a long time and we’ve finally got round to chatting to Paula van Niekerk owner of the beautiful Vamp furniture store in Cape Town. They’re in a new space and they now stock lots of local brands such as Skinny Laminx, Lauren Fowler, Isabeaupeep, SMAC Harry, Nicky Page, Moonbasket, Renee Rossouw etc.

So there’s a revamped Vamp. What has changed and what inspired the change?

We had to move from our previous location as the building was sold. It had been coming for quite some time, so after the initial angst, we got really excited at the prospect of moving to a fresh new space. We still focus on our revamped mid – century furniture which is the biggest part of our business and have also have started adding new designers and ranges into the mix that we feel complement our furniture and our vision for Vamp. Other than that, we are in a bigger space which enables us to showcase our wares much better.

Tell us a bit more about your background. 

Vamp is owned by myself and my partner Michael Dodds. My background is in restaurants, and more recently I owned an events management and décor company. Michael is a baker and pastry chef by trade, but has been in the woodwork manufacturing industry for the past 15 years.

 Two years ago, on a weekend away up the West Coast, we found a shop that sold a bit of everything, from clothing and furniture to petrol! What really caught our eye was an incredible selection of vintage furniture that had previously belonged to some or other government department. We spontaneously bought the lot and sent it back to Cape Town on a rather large truck.  We had often spoken about opening a furniture/homeware shop together over the years and with the perfect excuse to actually get off our butts and do it, we opened Vamp a few months later.

You work with a lot of up-and-coming designers do you have any advice for young designers/product designers/artisans who are trying to establish their own brands and who would one day love to sell their wares at Vamp.

There is so much incredible talent around that it can be really tough getting your name out there. Be passionate about what you do, people are drawn to that. Create your own formula, stay focused on your ideas, but don’t be scared to ask for advice and guidance along the way. Work hard, be positive and don’t give up!

The shop is situated on 368 Albert Road (Opposite the Old Biscuit Mill) in Woodstock, Cape Town. Their opening hours are as follows: 09h30 – 16h30 Mondays to Fridays. 08h30 – 15h00 Saturdays.

Join their Facebook page or follow their blog to stay updated on what’s new at Vamp. http://vampfurniture.blogspot.com/

Thanks Paula!

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Recycle. Revive. Recreate.

16 Aug


I’ve seen many of Katie Thompson’s pieces in magazines and on websites, but I saw them close-up for the first time at Decorex Jo’burg. The craftsmanship is impeccable and her unique pieces exude quirk and personality. If you don’t prescribe to the cookie cutter style you find in furniture chain stores, this is for you.

Using pieces of discarded junk, Katie recreates a unique, recycled range of furniture, lighting and interior accessories, each piece infused with its own previous character but with a new function. By blending South African craftsmanship, with high end finishes and her own eclectic perfectionist flair, Katie creates an original end product with a new integrity that epitomizes the very best of South African design.

Continue reading →

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Retro reproductions inspired by Mad Men

8 Jun


We featured Nadia van der Mescht from Cupcake Couture a while ago and we’ve recently discovered that her dad and husband are just as talented as she is. They own a company called Woodnewz that specialize in custom carpentry and design.

They’ve created this range of retro reproductions that draw inspiration from Mad Men and movies such as The Apartment and Lover Come Back.

The business, which has its roots in family heritage, was established in 1995. Founder, Thinus Jonker, learnt his trade from his father who did woodwork and restoration as a hobby. Tools and skills were passed from father to son and Thinus has in turn shared his knowledge with his son-in-law, Daniel. Together they create, design and craft.

Have a look at their website to see more of their classic and contemporary pieces.

Thinus:  082 5796574
www.woodnewz.co.za

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Thingking

25 May Screen shot 2011-05-25 at 9.21.52 AM

Lyall Sprong and Marc Nicolson tell Handsome Things a bit more about their designer-maker consultancy Thingking.

We are based in Woodstock. We make and design things. This extends to client work, but also consists of furniture type objects. These furniture type objects usually have a strong conceptual underpinning because we want to push things a little bit.

We try to make things that are responsive to context, they are more about asking questions and questioning ways of thinking. In 25 people make 25 halos we look at the relationship one has with objects that are produced by people you never usually have contact with. (Read more about this project here)

In the Bracket lamp project we looked at the ideas of value surrounding an object and subsequently how likely one is to re-create or modify that object. This project is being documented here.

There are many other thoughts that resulted in the Bracket Lamp project, but the above kind of gives the essential. I think that we are inspired by possibilities for the future and the feeling one gets when you uncover an assumption or inherited idea.

There is also quite plainly a joy in making things.

For more interesting projects, check out their website.

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Do you love Retro like we love Retro?

8 Apr Screen shot 2011-04-08 at 7.37.47 AM

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Mint began its life as a real-life shop, selling everything from retro ice-cream scoops to 50s light-fittings and Scandinavian dining room tables, with the idea that everything in our homes should be beautiful and functionality alone is never good enough.

Sadly Mint’s byline ‘The Retired Goods Company’ proved a little too literal, and after 8 short months owner Kirsty Machen was lured back into the corporate world. Despite her new career direction, she continued trawling for treasure in obscure pockets of Durban, and  soon realised that she needed a  a way of passing on some of her collection. And so the online version of Mint was born.

http://www.minttheshop.com

(We have a confession to make, we’ve already snapped up the penguin milk jar!)

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Handsome products from SA designers

1 Apr Pretty Filly 11 Lrg

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Available from:

http://www.batch.co.za

http://www.rawstudios.co.za

http://www.abode.co.za

http://www.koopdesign.co.za

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